Tools to Support My Journey

I am on a journey. Not necessarily towards money or power (though…)

I’m on a quest to redefine personal success by being who I am. To be Happy. To Evolve. To be Helpful. To Love.

Those things come differently to all of us, but we are all flowing towards something. There is no shortage of ideas and people to learn from. I’ve tried my share of “Three Things Happy People Do Every Day” or “Five Steps to a Better You”. Some are rubbish; others impactful. Two that I do daily: Declare My Intentions (aka what do I really, Really, REALLY want) and Focus on What I am Thankful for.

How and where you do these is totally personal. I created a Custom Journal in Maple for each of these activities. I love having a specific place for aspirations and affirmations, neatly organized and safely kept in one easily accessible spot.

I write in my Intentions Journal each morning, which helps me get clear on what I want to do for the day. It’s part of my Getting Ready to Face the World Process each morning. With so much going on, a moment to write down goals and get clarity changes the tone of my day.

Once I started my journal, I got a bit more disciplined about writing in it. That’s when I discovered some of my intentions were not propelling me forward on my path to be a better me. They were helping a lot of other people though. Hmmm. Big eye opener there. Now I review them each week and do a little self-check. Were my intentions in service to me and/or the greater good or was I helping a bunch of other people at my own expense? No shortage of insight happening there.

My Gratitude Journal is part of the Evening Winding Down Process. I sit for a moment and find a few things from my day – or life if the day was horrific – to be thankful for. I am appreciative of all sorts of things: a lesson learned, a crisis averted, a caramel chocolate chunk brownie, an extra box of tissues. I gain perspective, focus more on relevant things and let the rest go. Being grateful, I feel better – maybe even happier!

In Thrive, Arianna Huffington’s OWN Lifeclass, she references a daily gratitude circle (a team of gratitude partners!) Members describe what they were thankful for. I started my own circle. I write in my journal and use Maple’s Share feature to let my partner(s) see just that entry. Not only can I review what I was grateful for, but if someone adds a response, I see that too! Plus we all feel a bit more connected (cause we are!)

Getting these activities in Maple made them customary for me. When you are on a journey, anything that makes good habits easier to keep is a step in the right direction.

How are you using Maple to support your journey? We’d love to hear!